Interrupting presentation of content data to present additional content in response to reaching a timepoint relating to the content data and notifying a server

ABSTRACT

System for present content. The system includes means for receiving a set of timepoints relating to a content data and means for generating display signals based on the content data. The system also includes means for sending display signals to a display device that represent the content data and means for notifying a server over the Internet, that a timepoint among the set of timepoints has been reached in the content data. The system also includes means for receiving, from the server, via the Internet, an identification of one or more particular additional content and in response to receiving the identification of the one or more particular additional content from the server, means for interrupting presentation of the content data; and presenting the one or more particular additional content. The system further includes means for resuming, presentation of the content data after presenting the one or more particular additional content.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit as a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/138,546, filed Dec. 30, 2020 (pending), whichclaims benefit as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/509,326, filed Jul. 11, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,070,853, issuedJul. 20, 2021, which claims benefit as a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/102,206, filed Aug. 13, 2018 (pending), whichclaims benefit as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/413,370, filed Jan. 23, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,051,296, issuedAug. 14, 2018, which claims benefit as a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/748,121, filed Jun. 23, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No.9,554,161, issued Jan. 24, 2017, which claims benefit as a continuationof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/265,258, filed Apr. 29, 2014, nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,064,271, issued Jun. 23, 2015, which claims benefit as acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/747,414, filed Jan.22, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,713,599, issued Apr. 29, 2014, whichclaims benefit as a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/191,261, filed Aug. 13, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,359,612, issuedJan. 22, 2013, the entire contents of the aforementioned are herebyincorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, under 35 U.S.C.§ 120. The applicant(s) hereby rescind any disclaimer of claim scope inthe parent application(s) or the prosecution history thereof and advisethe USPTO that the claims in this application may be broader than anyclaim in the parent application(s).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present invention relate to (a) the distribution ofcontent (e.g., audiovisual media content) from various sources to peopleusing transportable memory devices and also to (b) techniques forderiving revenue in connection with the distribution of such contentusing such devices.

BACKGROUND

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are notnecessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued.Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches describedin this section are not prior art to the claims in this application andare not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

An abundance of digitized audio and video content is accessible throughvarious sites on the Internet using a browser application such asMozilla Firefox. A user can direct his browser application to theuniform resource locator (URL) of a web site and click on a link to viewa movie or listen to music. If the user wishes to view the movie orlisten to the music at a later time, the user can instruct his browserapplication to download the data to which the link refers. In response,the browser application downloads the data and stores the data on thehard disk drive of the user's computer.

Usually, such data is stored in a compressed and encoded form. Often,audiovisual content downloaded over the Internet is encoded inconformity with a Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standard. Althoughcomputers usually have applications that can uncompress and decode suchcontent for presentation to a user, other more traditionalcontent-presenting devices, such as televisions, usually do not have anymechanisms for translating such content into a form that those devicescan present to a user.

Sometimes, a user might want to view, on a television, content that theuser has downloaded to his computer. If the computer has the properinterface, then the user might be able to connect the computer to thetelevision. The computer might be equipped with an application that canread the content from the computer's hard disk drive, uncompress anddecode that content into a form that is presentable by the television,and send the content in such a form to the television through theinterface.

However, computers are not easily carried from one location to another.Computers are often relatively large and heavy. Laptop computers aregenerally smaller and lighter in weight than desktop computers, butstill consume a significant quantity of electricity in order to powerthe hard disk drive on which downloaded content is stored. Although auser might want to view downloaded content on several differenttelevisions at several different locations, the user might be reluctant,due to the size and weight of his computer, to cart his computer aroundfrom location to location. Furthermore, computers (especially laptopcomputers) are quite expensive. Many people do not have the financialmeans to purchase laptop computers. The average person might bereluctant to purchase a laptop computer unless that person has a needfor the laptop computer beyond merely viewing movies and listening tomusic that the person downloaded over the Internet.

Additionally, because there are so many web sites from which content canbe obtained, users might be unaware of the vast majority of content thatthe users could obtain. If a user is looking for content that relates toa particular topic, the user might try entering, into an Internet searchengine, query terms that relate to that topic. Often, though, theresults that an Internet search engine returns will exclude referencesto content of which the search engine is unaware.

Thus, despite the vast amount of content that is stored on variousservers throughout the Internet, people do not have an effective andinexpensive way of finding and viewing that content, especially whenthose people are highly mobile.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a system for distributingcontent to a person through a transportable device, according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an example of the internalcomponents of a transportable device, according to an embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 300 uponwhich an embodiment of the invention may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however,that the present invention may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent invention.

In the following discussion, in references to the drawings like numeralsrefer to like parts throughout the several views.

Embodiments are described herein according to the following outline:

-   -   1.0 Overview    -   2.0 Example Content Distribution System    -   3.0 Automatic Advertisement Matching    -   4.0 Bid-Based Advertisement Selection    -   5.0 Example Advertisement Presentation Techniques    -   6.0 Example Techniques for Deriving Revenue from the Content        Distribution System    -   7.0 Implementation Mechanisms—Hardware Overview        1.0 Overview

According to one embodiment of the invention, a portable devicedownloads (or has streamed to it) content (e.g., audiovisual mediacontent) over the Internet from various remote content sources. In oneembodiment of the invention, the portable device comprises a storagemechanism for persistently storing the content on the portable device asthe portable device receives the content. The portable deviceadditionally comprises a communication mechanism for (a) communicatingwith the remote content sources via the Internet and/or other networksand (b) streaming the content from the storage mechanism to apresentation device such as a television or monitor. The presentationdevice plays the received content to a person via a visual displayand/or audio speakers.

In one embodiment of the invention, the portable device contains anEthernet interface and/or a wireless network interface through which theportable device communicates with the remote content sources. In oneembodiment of the invention, the portable device contains ahigh-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) or other interface throughwhich the portable device sends content to the presentation device. Inone embodiment of the invention, the portable device containssolid-state memory (e.g., FLASH memory, Compact Flash (CF) cards, SD andSDHC cards, USB memory sticks, and so forth) onto which the portabledevice persistently stores the content that the portable device receivesfrom the remote content sources. In one embodiment of the invention, theportable device is small enough and lightweight enough to fit into andbe carried in a person's pocket.

According to certain embodiments of the invention, after the portabledevice's user has caused the portable device to stream portabledevice-stored content to one presentation device at one location, theportable device's user can carry the portable device to anotherpresentation device at another location. The portable device's owner canthen cause the portable device to stream the portable device-storedcontent to the other presentation device at the latter location. Thus,according to certain embodiments of the invention, the portable devicecan be used in conjunction with multiple different presentation devicesat different locations at different times.

Embodiments of the invention summarized above are described below ingreater detail, along with some alternative embodiments of theinvention.

2.0 Example Content Distribution System

FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a system for distributingcontent to a person through a transportable device, according to oneembodiment of the invention. The system comprises portable device 102,home media engine (HME) server 104, web server 106, content providers108A-N, content servers 110A-N, advertisers 112A-N, ad servers 114A-N,displays 116A-N, metadata database 118, and Internet 120. The examplesystem shown in FIG. 1 is but one of many possible different alternativeembodiments of the invention; alternative embodiments of the inventionmay be implemented in alternative systems with fewer, greater, ordifferent components than those illustrated in FIG. 1. Displays 116A-Nmay include televisions, monitors, and other kinds of displays that arecapable of presenting motion video.

Each of content providers 108A-N is a separate person or organization.In one embodiment of the invention, each of content providers 108A-Ncreates and/or owns different content items. As used herein, the term“content item” refers to any kind of media content. A content item maybe audiovisual media such as a movie or television program. A contentitem may be motion video content without audio. A content item may beaudio without any video; for example, a content item may be music. Acontent item may be a single-frame still image. A content item may be acomputer-executable application; for example, a content item may be avideo game. Each of content providers 108A-N has a computer throughwhich that content provider communicates with other components of thesystem (especially web server 106) through Internet 120.

Content providers 108A-N store content on content servers 110A-N. Forexample, each of content servers 110A-N may be a computer with a remoteor local hard disk drive on which one or more content items arepersistently stored. In one embodiment of the invention, various ones ofcontent servers 110A-N are owned and operated by various ones of contentproviders 108A-N. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, contentservers 110A-N are owned and operated by entities other than contentproviders 108A-N. Content servers 110A-N are configured to communicatewith other components of the system through Internet 120. In oneembodiment of the invention, content providers 108A-N store contentitems on content servers 110A-N by sending those content items throughInternet 120. Each of content servers 110A-N may be associated with aseparate Internet domain name. Each content item that is stored on oneof content servers 110A-N may be associated with a unique uniformresource locator (URL) that identifies both the content item and thecontent server on which that content item is stored.

Each of advertisers 112A-N is a separate person or organization. In oneembodiment of the invention, each of advertisers 112A-N creates and/orowns different advertisements. Advertisements may be in the form ofstill images, audio, and/or motion audiovisual media. Advertisements maybe in the form of interactive offers which a person can accept orreject; for example, an offer might invite a person to purchase aparticular merchandise item; if the person chooses to purchase themerchandise item, then the offer may cause an entity to ship themerchandise item to the person's address. Additionally or alternatively,advertisements may be in the form of games and/or other interactiveforms. Each of advertisers 112A-N has a computer through which thatadvertiser communicates with other components of the system (especiallyweb server 106) through Internet 120.

Advertisers 112A-N store advertisements on ad servers 114A-N. Forexample, each of ad servers 114A-N may be a computer with a hard diskdrive on which one or more advertisements are persistently stored. Inone embodiment of the invention, various ones of ad servers 114A-N areowned and operated by various ones of advertisers 112A-N. In analternative embodiment of the invention, ad servers 114A-N are owned andoperated by entities other than advertisers 114A-N. Ad servers 114A-Nare configured to communicate with other components of the systemthrough Internet 120. In one embodiment of the invention, advertisers112A-N store advertisements on ad servers 114A-N by sending thoseadvertisements through Internet 120. Each of ad servers 114A-N may beassociated with a separate Internet domain name. Each advertisement thatis stored on one of ad servers 114A-N may be associated with a uniqueuniform resource locator (URL) that identifies both the advertisementand the ad server on which that advertisement is stored.

Content providers 108A-N and advertisers 112A-N interact with web server106 via Internet 120. Web server 106 serves, to the computers of contentproviders 108A-N and advertisers 112A-N, web pages that contain userinterfaces. Content providers 108A-N and advertisers 112A-N submitinformation to web server 106 through these user interfaces.

Content providers 108A-N submit, to web server 106, information thatindicates the URLs of various content items that are stored on contentservers 110A-N. With each such URL, content providers 108A-N may submitmetadata that describes various aspects (e.g., title, year, director,actors, rating, abstract, etc.) of the content item with which that URLis associated. For each URL, the metadata submitted in conjunction withthat URL may indicate one or more content keywords that are chosen bythe content provider that submitted that metadata. The content keywordsare used to match advertisements with content items in an automaticmanner that is discussed in greater detail below. In response toreceiving the above information from content providers 108A-N, webserver 106 stores the information in metadata database 118. Web server106 establishes, in metadata database 118, associations between contentitem URLs and the metadata (including the content keywords) that wassubmitted with those content item URLs.

Advertisers 112A-N submit, to web server 106, information that indicatesthe URLs of various advertisements that are stored on ad servers 114A-N.With each such URL, advertisers 112A-N may submit metadata thatdescribes various aspects of the advertisement with which that URL isassociated. For each URL, the metadata submitted in conjunction withthat URL may indicate one or more ad keywords that are chosen by theadvertiser that submitted that metadata. The ad keywords are used tomatch advertisements with content items in an automatic manner that isdiscussed in greater detail below. In response to receiving the aboveinformation from advertisers 112A-N, web server 106 stores theinformation in metadata database 118. Web server 106 establishes, inmetadata database 118, associations between advertisement URLs and themetadata (including the ad keywords) that was submitted with thoseadvertisement URLs.

Portable device 102 contains an interface through which portable device102 can communicate with other components of the system via Internet120. For example, portable device 102 may contain an Ethernet interfaceand/or a wireless network interface. Portable device 102 also containsan HDMI through which portable device 102 can send television signals toany of displays 116A-N; each of displays 116A-N also has an HDMI towhich portable device 102 can be connected. Displays 116A-N may sit atdifferent locations; for example, display 116A might be located in onehouse, while display 116B might be located in another house. The personwho carries portable device 102 may choose the particular one ofdisplays 116A-N to which that person currently wants portable device 102to be connected. For example, portable device 102 may be connected to atelevision or monitor that has an HDMI.

Portable device 102 receives user interface commands that HME server 104sends to portable device 102 through Internet 120. The user interfacecommands may conform to a specified remote display protocol, forexample. In response to receiving user interface commands from HMEserver 104, portable device 102 sends, to a particular television (theone of displays 116A-N to which portable device 102 is currentlyconnected) television signals that cause the particular television todisplay user interface elements that correspond to the user interfacecommands. Portable device 102 also receives, in wireless signals from aremote control held by the viewer of the particular television, usercommands that correspond to the viewer's selection of certain userinterface elements. Each user command triggers a corresponding event.Portable device 102 notifies HME server 104 of the occurrence of eachsuch event via Internet 120. In response to the occurrences of variousevents, HME server 104 may send various corresponding sets of userinterface commands to portable device 102. Thus, a viewer's selection(through the remote control) of a user interface element may cause HMEserver 104 to instruct portable device 102 to cause the particulartelevision to display a different user interface than the user interfacethat the particular television currently displays.

HME server 104 queries the information in metadata database 118 todetermine a set of content items that are stored on content servers110A-N. Based on the query results, HME server 104 generates a set ofuser interface commands that will cause portable device 102 to generatetelevision signals that represent a content guide. The content guideidentifies the set of content items that are stored on content servers110A-N. For example, the content guide might include a sorted and/orfiltered (based on specified criteria) list of content items. HME server102 sends the set of user interface commands to portable device 102 overInternet 120. In response to receiving the set of user interfacecommands, portable device 102 generates television signals thatrepresent the content guide. Portable device 102 sends these televisionsignals to the particular one of displays 116A-N to which portabledevice 102 is currently connected. In response, the particulartelevision displays the content guide.

A viewer's selection (through the remote control) of a particularcontent item displayed in the content guide causes portable device 102to notify HME server 104 of the occurrence of the event that correspondsto the selection of the particular content item. In the notification,portable device 102 identifies the particular content item that wasselected. In one embodiment of the invention, HME server 104 receivesthe notification and, in response, sends the URL of the particularcontent item (as indicated in the associations stored in metadatadatabase 118) to portable device 102. Portable device 102 sends, overInternet 120, to the particular one of content servers 110A-N that isassociated with the URL, a request for the particular content item (alsoidentified by the URL). The particular content server receives therequest and, in response, sends the particular content item overInternet 120 to portable device 102. Thus, portable device 102 downloadsthe particular content item from the particular content server. Althoughportable device 102 downloads the content item in one embodiment of theinvention, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the particularcontent server streams the content item to the portable device 102.

In one embodiment of the invention, in response to receiving theparticular content item, portable device 102 stores the particularcontent item within solid-state memory (e.g., FLASH memory, CompactFlash (CF) cards, SD and SDHC cards, USB memory sticks, and so forth)that is contained in portable device 102. In one embodiment of theinvention, HME server 104 instructs portable device 102 to play theparticular content item. In response, portable device 102 generates, andsends to the particular television, television signals that cause theparticular television to present (e.g., play and/or display) theparticular content item. The particular television presents theparticular content item that is represented in the television signals.

As is discussed above, in one embodiment of the invention, HME server104 sends the URL of a selected content item to portable device 102 inresponse to a user's selection of that content item. However, in analternative embodiment of the invention, HME server 104 may sendmultiple URLs for multiple content items to portable device 102, andeven prior to the user of portable device 102 selecting any particularcontent item. For example, HME server 104 may send, to portable device102, the URL for each content item that is contained in the contentguide discussed above (and, possibly, even URLs for content items thatare not contained in the content guide), even before a user selects anyparticular content item from the content guide. Portable device 102 maystore such received URLs for later use when the user actually doesselect a content item that corresponds to one of those URLs.

Content items may be stored on content servers 110A-N in a compressedand encoded form. For example, content items may be stored in conformitywith a Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standard. Therefore, in oneembodiment of the invention, portable device 102 decodes anddecompresses the compressed and encoded content item when portabledevice 102 generates the television signals that portable device 102will send to the particular television to cause the particulartelevision to present that content item. The content item may remain incompressed and encoded form within the solid-state memory (e.g., FLASHmemory, Compact Flash (CF) cards, SD and SDHC cards, USB memory sticks,and so forth) of portable device 102 in order to conserve memory.

3.0 Automatic Advertisement Matching

As is discussed above, in one embodiment of the invention, advertisers112A-N store advertisements on ad servers 114A-N. Also as is discussedabove, in one embodiment of the invention, advertisers 112A-N submit, toweb server 106, information that associates (a) the URLs for theseadvertisements with (b) metadata for these advertisements. Web server106 stores, in metadata database 118, associations between theadvertisement URLs and the advertisement metadata. As is discussedabove, in one embodiment of the invention, the metadata for theadvertisements includes one or more ad keywords that may pertain to thecontent or subject of the advertisement. For example, the ad keywordsmight indicate a product type, a service type, and/or a brand name.

In one embodiment of the invention, when HME server 104 detects theoccurrence of an event that indicates that the user of portable device102 has selected a content item from the content guide, HME server 104queries metadata database 118 to determine the content keywords that areassociated with the selected content item. HME server 104 then queriesmetadata database 118 to determine a set of matching advertisements. HMEserver 104 determines the set of matching advertisements by findingadvertisements that are associated, in metadata database 118, with atleast one ad keyword that matches at least one content keyword that isassociated, in metadata database 118, with the selected content item.Keywords can be single words; alternatively, keywords can be phrasesthat include multiple related words. For example, if the selectedcontent item is associated with the content keyword “Zippy Cola” thenHME server 104 may query metadata database 118 to determine a set ofadvertisement URLs that are each associated with the ad keyword “ZippyCola.”

In one embodiment of the invention, after HME server 104 has determinedthe set of matching advertisement URLs, HME server 104 sends (overInternet 120) one or more of the matching advertisement URLs to portabledevice 102 along with the URL of the selected content item. Some exampletechniques by which HME server 104 may select from among the matchingadvertisement URLs are described in greater detail below. In oneembodiment of the invention, portable device 102 receives theadvertisement URLs and, in response, downloads (over Internet 120), fromthe appropriate ones of ad servers 114A-N, the advertisements that areassociated with those advertisement URLs. Such advertisements may,alternatively, be streamed to portable device 102 from the appropriateones of ad servers 114A-N. In one embodiment of the invention, portabledevice 102 plays or displays (via the particular one of displays 116A-Nto which portable device 102 is currently connected) the downloadedadvertisements before, after, and/or during the interval during whichportable device 102 plays or displays the selected content item. Theadvertisement URLs do not need to be sent to portable device 102 exactlyat the time that the advertisement is to be downloaded by portabledevice 102. In one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 canpre-fetch content that portable device 102 might need later. Forexample, in one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102receives, along with the URL of a user-selected content item, severaladvertisement URLs that are associated with the URL of the user-selectedcontent item. Portable device 102 may receive the advertisements locatedat the advertisement URLs concurrently with receiving the user-selectedcontent item. Portable device 102 may store such advertisements forlater display at appropriate time intervals relative to the presentationof the content item—for example, immediately after the presentation ofthe content item has ended.

In one embodiment of the invention, HME server 104 instructs portabledevice 102 to obtain content (e.g., content items and/or advertisements)and cache that content for possible later presentation. Portable device102 may cache some content that portable device 102 never actuallypresents to a user. HME server 104 may manage the content cache ofportable device 102 remotely, choosing which content will be placed inthe cache and which content will be evicted from the cache when thecache becomes full. The determination, by HME server 104, of whichcontent will be cached by portable device 102, may be based oninformation that is related to the use of portable device 102 and/or theuser of portable device 102. For example, HME server 104 may choosecontent to be cached on a particular portable device based on a contentviewing history of the user of that particular portable device. HMEserver 104 may maintain such a content viewing history using informationthat portable device 102 sends to HME server 104 in response to theuser's viewing of content.

In one embodiment of the invention, whenever portable device 102presents an advertisement through a connected television, portabledevice 102 sends, to HME server 104, a notification that indicates (a)the identity of that advertisement (e.g., the advertisement URL) and (b)that the advertisement was presented. Portable device 102 may decodeand/or uncompress downloaded advertisements in order to generate thetelevision signals that will cause displays 116A-N to display thoseadvertisements. Some example techniques by which portable device 120plays or displays downloaded advertisements are discussed further below.

4.0 Bid-Based Advertisement Selection

As is discussed above, in one embodiment of the invention, HME server104 automatically determines a set of matching advertisements for aselected content item. In some cases, the number of matchingadvertisements might be large—too large for all of the matchingadvertisements to be displayed or played in conjunction with the contentitem in a reasonable amount of time. Under such circumstances, HMEserver 104 may select one or more advertisements from among the matchingadvertisements based on amounts of fees that advertisers 112A-N arewilling to pay for the presentation of those advertisements.

In one embodiment of the invention, when advertisers 112A-N submitadvertisement metadata to web server 106, the advertisers also submitbids for the presentation of the associated advertisements. Web server106 stores these bids within the advertisement metadata that web server106 stores in metadata database 118. For example, advertiser 112A mightsubmit, to web server 106, information that indicates that advertiser112A is willing to pay the operator of a service (e.g., TiVo Inc.) aspecified amount of money each time that a particular advertisement ispresented (e.g., to the user of portable device 102 or other similarportable devices).

In one embodiment of the invention, after determining the set ofmatching advertisements in the manner described above, HME server 104determines a number of advertisement slots that are available for theselected content item; in one embodiment of the invention, this numberis chosen by a content provider and is indicated in the content metadatathat is associated with the selected content item. HME server 104 sortsthe matching advertisements based on the bid amounts that are associatedwith those matching advertisements. HME server 104 then selects, fromthe matching advertisements that are associated with the highest bidamounts, a number of matching advertisements that is equal to the numberof available advertisement slots. HME server 104 sends the URLs for theselected matching advertisements to portable device 102 over Internet120. Using these URLs, portable device 102 downloads the selectedmatching advertisements from the appropriate ones of ad servers 114A-Nand presents the selected matching advertisements in conjunction withthe selected content item.

In one embodiment of the invention, HME server 104 instructs portabledevice 102 to obtain and cache advertisements even before the user ofportable device 102 has selected any content item. More specifically, inone embodiment of the invention, HME server 104 periodically selects,from among all available advertisements, a limited subset of theadvertisements that are currently associated with the highest bids. HMEserver 104 periodically instructs portable device 102 to obtain theseselected advertisements and cache them in the storage of portable device102 for later possible use and presentation (e.g., in the event that theuser actually does, later, select a content item in conjunction withwhich one of these advertisements should be presented). Thus, portabledevice 102 may obtain (e.g., via downloading or streaming technology)advertisements that are currently associated with the highest bids, eventhough the user of portable device 102 might never select a content itemthat would require one of those advertisements to be presented, and eventhough at least some of those advertisements might never be presented,and might eventually be evicted from the cache (e.g., if otheradvertisements end up receiving higher bids). In one embodiment of theinvention, HME server 104 not only selects, for “proactive caching” byportable device 102, advertisements associated with the highest bids,but also advertisements that, based on the user's past viewing historyand content item selection, are likely to end up being presented. Thus,in one embodiment of the invention, HME server 104 determines a weightfor each available advertisement based on some combination of (a) howthat advertisement's current bid ranks among current bids associatedwith other advertisements and (b) the probability, based on the user'sknown content item viewing habits, that the advertisement actually willend up being presented to the user. HME server 104 then instructsportable device 102 to cache, proactively, the advertisements that areassociated with the most significant weights. HME server 104 mayinstruct portable device 102 to obtain and cache advertisements andother content at specified off-peak times of day (e.g., times of day atwhich portable device 102 is unlikely to be obtaining content items inresponse to the user's selection of those content items) so that thebandwidth of portable device 102 is not overused at time-sensitivemoments.

A service provider who owns and/or operates HME server 104 mightdetermine that certain “premium” content items are among those that auser of portable device 102 will want to view. Therefore, in oneembodiment of the invention, the service provider causes (via HME server104) portable device 102 to obtain and cache such likely-to-be-viewedcontent items. Under circumstances in which a “premium” content item iscurrently stored in the cache of portable device 102, but has not yetbeen presented, HME server 104 may instruct portable device 102 topresent (in conjunction with another content item that portable device102 is currently presenting to a user) advertisements that refer to thecached “premium” content item and that are specifically designed toentice the user to request the presentation of the cached “premium”content item. This helps to ensure that the cached “premium” contentitem actually will be requested by and presented to the user, so thatthe bandwidth and storage used to cache the “premium” content item willnot have been used in vain. In one embodiment of the invention, aproducer, owner, or distributor of a “premium” content item enters intoan agreement with the service provider to pay the service provider somespecified fee(s) in exchange for (a) the caching of the “premium”content item on portable device 102 and/or (b) the presentation of thespecial advertisements that promote the “premium” content item to theuser of portable device 102. In one embodiment of the invention, theservice provider does not enable the caching of the “premium” contentitem as discussed above until such an agreement between the serviceprovider and the item's producer has been entered into.

In one embodiment of the invention, whenever HME server 104 sends anadvertisement URL to portable device 102, or, alternatively, wheneverHME server 104 receives a notification that portable device 102presented an advertisement that is associated with such a URL, HMEserver 104 bills a bank account, invoice, or credit card that isassociated with the one of advertisers 112A-N that placed the bid forthat advertisement. HME server 104 bills the bank account, invoice, orcredit card in the amount specified in the bid for that advertisement.In one embodiment of the invention, advertisers 112A-N submit bankaccount information and/or credit card information along with the bidsthat advertisers 112A-N submit through web server 106. In one embodimentof the invention, web server 106 stores such bank account informationand/or credit card information in the advertisement metadata that isassociated, in metadata database 118, with the related advertisementURL.

In an embodiment of the invention described above, bid amounts areassociated with advertisement URLs. However, in an alternativeembodiment of the invention, advertisers 112A-N submit bid amounts inassociation with advertiser-selected keywords rather than specificadvertisements. Web server 106 stores, in metadata database 118,associations between ad keywords, bid amounts, and the identities of theadvertisers who submitted those bid amounts. In such an alternativeembodiment of the invention, HME server 104 may select, from among theset of matching advertisements, one or more advertisements that areassociated with ad keywords that are associated with the highest bidamounts. Each advertisement may be associated with multiple different adkeywords.

5.0 Example Advertisement Presentation Techniques

There are numerous different ways in which portable device 102 canpresent downloaded advertisements in conjunction with the presentationof a content item. In one embodiment of the invention, portable device102 presents one or more advertisements before presenting the contentitem. In one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 presentsone or more advertisements after presenting the content item. In oneembodiment of the invention, portable device 102 presents one or moreadvertisements before presenting the content item, and then presents oneor more advertisements after presenting the content item. For example,portable device 102 may play advertisements for five minutes precedingthe presentation of the content item, and then portable device 102 mayplay advertisements for five minutes following the presentation of thecontent item.

In one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 presentsadvertisements during the presentation of the content item. For example,in one embodiment of the invention, HME server 104 determines theheight-width ratio of the content item before portable device 102presents the content item. In such an embodiment of the invention, ifHME server 104 determines that the height-width ratio of the contentitem in comparison to the height-width ratio of the television on whichthe content item is going to be presented will leave black strips aboveand below or to either side of the content item, then HME server 104instructs portable device 102 to play or display advertisements in thedisplay space that is not occupied by the content item. In response,portable device 102 plays or displays these advertisements concurrentlywith the presentation of the content item, but in the display space thatis not occupied by the content item.

In one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 presentsadvertisements at periodic interruptions in between the presentation ofportions of the content item. For example, portable device may present10 minutes of the content item, and then present one or moreadvertisements, and then present the next 10 minutes of the contentitem, and then present one or more advertisements, and then present thenext 10 minutes of the content item.

In one embodiment of the invention, when one of content providers 108A-Nsubmits information to web server 106 in conjunction with a contentitem, as discussed above, that content provider includes, in thatinformation, an indication of one or more time points at whichadvertisements may be inserted. Web server 106 stores the one or moretime points in the content metadata that is associated with the contentitem URL in metadata database 118. In such an embodiment of theinvention, HME server 104 provides the list of time points to portabledevice 102 before portable device 102 presents the content item withwhich those time points are associated. According to one embodiment ofthe invention, when portable device 102 plays the content item up to oneof the time points in the list, portable device 102 notifies HME server104 that a time point has been reached. In response to thisnotification, HME server 104 instructs portable device 102 to play oneor more advertisements before continuing to present the content item upto the next time point in the list. However, according to an alternativeembodiment of the invention, instead of notifying HME server 104 that atime point has been reached, portable device 102 independently selectsone or more advertisements to play before continuing to present thecontent item. Under such circumstances, portable device 102 may informHME server 104 as to which advertisements portable device 102 hasselected and presented (or is currently presenting). Portable device 102may select advertisement URLs from a list of advertisement URLs thatportable device 102 locally stores. Some such URLs may point to aadvertisements that are already stored in a cache that portable device102 maintains, while other such URLs may point to resources stored ormaintained by various ones of ad servers 114A-N. Thus, in onealternative embodiment of the invention, the advertisement presentationby portable device 102 is entirely pre-computed and downloaded byportable device 102 along with the content that portable device 102 willplay, with portable device 102 inserting advertisements into thepresentation stream automatically, and with portable device 102 lettingHME server 104 know about which advertisements portable 102 haspresented as portable device 102 presents those advertisements.

In one embodiment of the invention, the content provider indicates toweb server 106, in addition to the list of time points, the maximumamount of time during which the content provider will allowadvertisements to be played at each time point. In such an embodiment ofthe invention, HME server 104 instructs portable device 102 to present,at each time point, advertisements whose lengths collectively do notexceed the specified maximum amount of time.

In one embodiment of the invention, the content provider indicates, toweb server 106, a list of time points as discussed above, but alsoindicates, for each time point, one or more content keywords that areassociated with that time point. For example, content provider 108Amight associate the content keyword “soap” with a first time point(e.g., at the 5:00 mark) and the content keyword “beer” with a secondtime point (e.g., at the 10:00 mark). Content provider 108A may choosethe content keywords that are to be associated with a particular timepoint based on the subject matter of the content item that will bepresented at that time point. Continuing the above example, contentprovider 108A might choose “soap” to be associated with the first timepoint because the content item might be a television show in which, atthe first time point, one of the actors is in the shower. Similarly,content provider 108A might choose “beer” to be associated with thesecond time point because, in the television show, one of the actorsmight drink from a bottle of beer at the second time point. In such anembodiment of the invention, when portable device 102 notifies HMEserver 104 that a particular time point has been reached in thepresentation of the content item, HME server 104 determines one or moreadvertisements that are associated with an ad keyword that matches atleast one content keyword that is associated with the particular timepoint in metadata database 118. HME server 104 instructs portable device102 to present one or more of these advertisements in a non-obtrusivemanner. For example, portable device 102 may cause the television topresent a banner or overlay in a portion of the screen while the contentitem is playing; the banner or overlay may contain material from amatching advertisement. For another example, portable device 102 maycause the television to present, in the corner of the screen, an iconthat indicates that additional information is available in response tothe viewer's pushing of a particular button on the remote control; inresponse to the viewer's pushing of the particular button while the iconis being displayed, portable device 102 may cause the television topresent the matching advertisement, temporarily interrupting thepresentation of the content item. In each of the above examples,portable device 102 may perform the operations in response toinstructions from HME server 104.

In one embodiment of the invention, the fee that a content serviceprovider charges to an advertiser whose advertisements are displayed inthe manner described above is based at least in part on when thoseadvertisements are displayed during the program. For example, in oneembodiment of the invention, the content service provider charges ahighest fee for advertisements that are played during the beginning ofthe program, and charges a lowest fee for advertisements that are playedduring the ending of the program. For advertisements that are playedbetween the beginning and the end of the program, the content serviceprovider may charge a fee that is based on the ratio of (a) the amountof the program that has been played to (b) the amount of the programthat remains to be played, such that a higher fee is charged foradvertisements that are played towards the beginning of the program thanfor advertisements that are played towards the end of the program. HMEserver 104 may select, from among a plurality of advertisements withdifferent associated fees, which advertisements to offer to the viewerbased at least in part on the fees associated with the playing of thoseadvertisements. For example, HME server 104 may select a set ofadvertisements that will generate a highest amount of fees whileremaining within a specified number of advertisements or a specifiedamount of total advertising time during the program.

6.0 Example Techniques for Deriving Revenue from the ContentDistribution System

There are multiple different techniques by which an operator of acontent distribution service (e.g., the owner and operator of web server106 and/or the maintainer of the metadata in metadata database 118) canderive revenue from activities that occur within the contentdistribution system. As is discussed above, in one embodiment of theinvention, advertisers 112A-N submit bids with the URLs of theadvertisements that are stored on ad servers 114A-N. In such anembodiment of the invention, HME server 104 selects one ofkeyword-matching advertisements based on the bid amounts that areassociated with those advertisements. The operator of the contentdistribution service (e.g., TiVo Inc.) obtains, from advertisers 112A-N,revenue in the amount of the bids that are associated with theadvertisements that portable device 102 actually presents. Thus, in oneembodiment of the invention, the content distribution service operatorsells advertising opportunities to advertisers 112A-N using the online(via web server 106) bidding process described above.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the content distributionservice operator offers to store the advertisements of advertisers112A-N on a server that the content distribution service operator ownsor operates. Advertisers 112A-N might find this prospect to be moreappealing than storing the advertisements on their own ad servers (e.g.,ad servers 114A-N). In one embodiment of the invention, in exchange forthe privilege of storing advertisements on the content distributionservice operator's server, advertisers 112A-N agree to pay the contentdistribution service operator a specified amount. For example, thecontent distribution service operator might charge advertiser 112A aspecified monetary amount each month. The specified monetary amountmight be based on the size (e.g., in bytes) of the advertisements thatadvertiser 112A is storing on the content distribution serviceoperator's server, or, alternatively, based on the bandwidth consumed indelivering the advertisements to portable devices.

In one embodiment of the invention, at the time that content providers108A-N submit content item URLs and associated metadata to web server106, content providers 108A-N enter into a legally binding agreementwith the content distribution service operator (e.g., by checking a boxon a web page). The agreement specifies that the content provider givespermission for the content distribution service operator to selladvertising opportunities to advertisers 112A-N. The agreementadditionally specifies that the content provider will receive aspecified portion of the revenues obtained from advertisers 112A-N; thecontent distribution service operator will receive the rest of theserevenues. Such an agreement functions as an inducement for contentproviders 108A-N to submit the URLs of their content items, andassociated metadata, to web server 106.

Techniques discussed above are directed to obtaining revenue fromadvertisers 112A-N. Additionally or alternatively, techniques forobtaining revenue from content providers 108A-N may be employed asdiscussed below. In one embodiment of the invention, content providers108A-N embed advertisements into their own content items that are storedon content servers 110A-N. In such an embodiment of the invention, thoseof content providers 108A-N that embed advertisements into their owncontent items enter into an agreement with the content distributionservice operator. The agreement specifies that, in exchange for allowingthe content provider to embed advertisements into the content items thatportable device 102 will download (or otherwise receive, e.g., viastreaming technology) and present, the content provider agrees to paythe content distribution service operator a specified monetary amountevery time that portable device 102 (or a similar device) downloadsand/or presents one of the content provider's content items. Thus, insuch an embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 may notify HMEserver 104 each time that portable device 102 downloads (or otherwisereceives, e.g., via streaming technology) and/or presents a contentitem. In response to receiving such a notification, HME server 104 billsa bank account, invoice, or credit card that is associated with the oneof content providers 108A-N whose content item portable device 102received and/or presented. HME server 104 bills the bank account,invoice, or credit card in the amount specified in the agreement withthe content provider. In one embodiment of the invention, contentproviders 108A-N submit bank account information and/or credit cardinformation along with the content item URLs that content providers108A-N submit through web server 106. In one embodiment of theinvention, web server 106 stores such bank account information, invoice,and/or credit card information in the content metadata that isassociated, in metadata database 118, with the related content item URL.Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, content providers 108A-N,rather than the content distribution service operator, sell advertisingopportunities to advertisers 112A-N, but the content distributionservice operator derives revenue from content providers 108A-N inexchange for allowing content providers 108A-N to do so.

In one embodiment of the invention, the content provider embedsadvertisements into content items, but also allows the contentdistribution service operator to sell some advertising opportunities toadvertisers 112A-N. In one such embodiment of the invention, the contentprovider indicates (e.g., via web server 106), in the content metadatathat is associated with the content item URL in metadata database 118, aset of time points at which HME server 104 may instruct portable device102 to insert keyword-matching advertisements. The content provider mayadditionally specify a maximum time interval for each time point. Insuch an embodiment of the invention, HME server 104 instructs portabledevice 102 to present, at each time point, advertisements whose lengthscollectively do not exceed the specified maximum amount of time. Thus,during the presentation of the content item, portable device 102 maypresent both (a) advertisements that the content provider previouslyembedded in the content item itself and (b) advertisements that HMEserver 104 automatically selected and instructed portable device 102 todownload (using the keyword-matching technique discussed above).

In one embodiment of the invention, when content providers 108A-N submitcontent item URLs to web server 106, content providers 108A-Nadditionally specify whether the corresponding content items are“premium” content. Web server 106 stores, in the content metadata thatis associated with a content item URL in metadata database 118, anindication of whether the corresponding content item is “premium” ornot. In such an embodiment of the invention, content providers 108A-Nadditionally specify, for each “premium” content item, an amount thatthe operator of portable device 102 is to be billed whenever portabledevice 102 receives (e.g., downloads or receives via streaming) and/orpresents that “premium” content item (the content distribution serviceoperator may require a service subscription from each operator of aportable device in order for the device's operator to use that portabledevice; the content distribution service operator may maintain billinginformation for each such subscription). In such an embodiment of theinvention, those of content providers 108A-N that submit “premium”content item URLs enter into an agreement with the content distributionservice operator. The agreement specifies that the content distributionservice operator will receive a specified portion of the amount that theoperator of portable device 102 is billed when portable device 102downloads and/or presents the “premium” content item. In such anembodiment of the invention, whenever portable device 102 downloadsand/or presents a “premium” content item, HME server 104 bills a bankaccount, invoice, or credit card of the operator of portable device 102,directs the specified portion of the billed amount to the contentdistribution server operator, and pays the remainder of the billedamount to the content provider. In one embodiment of the invention,portable device 102 does not present any advertisements before, during,or after (or otherwise in conjunction with) the presentation of a“premium” content item for whose presentation the operator of portabledevice 102 paid money.

In one embodiment of the invention, the content distribution serviceoperator derives revenue from content providers 108A-N by chargingcontent providers 108A-N money in exchange for providing contentproviders 108A-N with the opportunity to control, temporarily and in alimited scope, portable device 102. As is discussed above, in oneembodiment of the invention, portable device 102 receives user interfacecommands from HME server 104 and generates television signals or displaysignals based on those user interface commands. In one embodiment of theinvention, in response to a user's selection of a particular contentitem from the content guide that portable device 102 presents, HMEserver 104 permits another server, owned by the content provider whosubmitted the particular content item, to send certain approved userinterface commands to portable device 102 for a limited period of time(e.g., until portable device 102 receives a command to resume normaloperation under the control of HME server 104). In one embodiment of theinvention, unlike HME server 104, the content provider's server is notowned or operated by the content distribution service operator. Thus, inone embodiment of the invention, content providers 108A-N are given theopportunity to control, more directly, the user interfaces that portabledevice 102 generates and presents to viewers through displays 116A-N. Insuch an embodiment of the invention, the content distribution serviceoperator bills such content providers a specified and agreed-upon amountof money in exchange for this opportunity to control portable device102.

While a content provider's server is controlling portable device 102,the content provider's server may disable certain features of theportable device 102. For example, the content provider's server mightdisable the selection of an “advertisement-skipping” feature of portabledevice 102 for as long as the content provider's server is controllingportable device 102.

7.0 Hardware Overview

FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates an example of the internalcomponents of portable device 102, according to an embodiment of theinvention. In the embodiment illustrated, portable device 102 containsan Ethernet interface 202, a wireless network interface 204, aninfra-red receiver 206, solid state memory 208, a processor 210, anencrypter/decrypter 214, and HDMI 212. The example device shown in FIG.2 is but one of many possible different alternative embodiments of theinvention; alternative embodiments of the invention may be implementedin alternative devices with fewer, greater, or different components thanthose illustrated in FIG. 2.

In one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 comprisesEthernet interface 202 or wireless network interface 204, but not both.In another embodiment of the invention, portable device comprises bothEthernet interface 202 and wireless network interface 204. Portabledevice 102 is capable of communicating with content servers 110A-N, adservers 114A-N, and HME server 104 over Internet 120 through Ethernetinterface 202 and/or wireless network interface 204.

Infra-red receiver 206 is capable of receiving infra-red signals from aremote control. The remote control sends infra-red signals to portabledevice 102 in response to a user's manipulation of buttons on the remotecontrol. The infra-red signals represent commands that the user wantsportable device 102 to carry out. Circuitry within portable device 102routes such commands in the form of electrical signals to processor 210.Processor 210 may be any microprocessor or application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC).

In one embodiment of the invention, when portable device 102 downloadscontent items and advertisements over Internet 120, portable device 102stores those content items and advertisements, at least temporarily,within solid-state memory 208. In one embodiment of the invention,portable device 102 lacks any kind of hard disk drive, thereby reducingthe weight, size, expense, and energy consumption of portable device102. In one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 runs onenergy obtained from replaceable batteries. Processor 210 reads datafrom and writes data to solid-state memory 208.

Among other features, processor 210 is capable of receiving userinterface commands from HME server 104 and generating television signalsthat represent user interfaces that conform to those commands. Processor210 outputs such television signals to whichever one of displays 116A-Nportable device 102 is currently connected through HDMI 212. HDMI 212can be connected and disconnected repeatedly, at a user's discretion,from corresponding HDMIs on each of displays 116A-N.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the invention, processor 210 iscapable of decoding and uncompressing content items and advertisementsthat have been encoded and compressed (e.g., according to an MPEG orother encoding or compression standard). In one embodiment of theinvention, processor 210 reads encoded and encrypted content items thatare stored in solid-state memory 208, decodes and uncompresses thosecontent items, and generates television signals that represent thosecontent items. Processor 210 sends the generated television signals outthrough HDMI 212.

Although portable device 102 contains solid-state memory 208 in theembodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2, in an alternativeembodiment of the invention, portable device 102 lacks solid-statememory 208. In one embodiment of the invention, instead of storingcontent items and advertisements that portable device 102 downloads,portable device 102 streams such content items and advertisementsdirectly through HDMI 212 as portable device 102 receives those contentitems and advertisements through interface 202 or interface 204.

In one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 receivescommands from a personal computer (not shown) over Internet 120 throughinterface 202 or interface 204. The commands instruct portable device102 to perform specified operations. For example, such a command mayinstruct portable device 102 to download and store a particular contentitem. Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, portable device 102 canbe controlled remotely over Internet 120, by an authorized device (e.g.,an authorized Internet-connected laptop computer), in a manner similarto that in which that portable device 102 can be controlled more locallyby the remote control discussed above. In one embodiment of theinvention, a remote device sends (over Internet 120) such commands toHME server 104, which then sends corresponding commands to portabledevice 102 in order to cause portable device 102 to perform thosecommands.

In one embodiment of the invention, encrypter/decrypter 214 encryptsunencrypted signals into encrypted signals, and decrypts encryptedsignals into unencrypted signals.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 300 uponwhich an embodiment of the invention may be implemented. Computer system300 includes a bus 302 or other communication mechanism forcommunicating information, and a processor 304 coupled with bus 302 forprocessing information. Computer system 300 also includes a main memory306, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storagedevice, coupled to bus 302 for storing information and instructions tobe executed by processor 304. Main memory 306 also may be used forstoring temporary variables or other intermediate information duringexecution of instructions to be executed by processor 304. Computersystem 300 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 308 or other staticstorage device coupled to bus 302 for storing static information andinstructions for processor 304. A storage device 310, such as a magneticdisk or optical disk, is provided and coupled to bus 302 for storinginformation and instructions.

Computer system 300 may be coupled via bus 302 to a display 312, such asa cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user.An input device 314, including alphanumeric and other keys, is coupledto bus 302 for communicating information and command selections toprocessor 304. Another type of user input device is cursor control 316,such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicatingdirection information and command selections to processor 304 and forcontrolling cursor movement on display 312. This input device typicallyhas two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and asecond axis (e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in aplane.

The invention is related to the use of computer system 300 forimplementing the techniques described herein. According to oneembodiment of the invention, those techniques are performed by computersystem 300 in response to processor 304 executing one or more sequencesof one or more instructions contained in main memory 306. Suchinstructions may be read into main memory 306 from anothermachine-readable medium, such as storage device 310. Execution of thesequences of instructions contained in main memory 306 causes processor304 to perform the process steps described herein. In alternativeembodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or incombination with software instructions to implement the invention. Thus,embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combinationof hardware circuitry and software.

The term “machine-readable medium” as used herein refers to any mediumthat participates in providing data that causes a machine to operationin a specific fashion. In an embodiment implemented using computersystem 300, various machine-readable media are involved, for example, inproviding instructions to processor 304 for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to storage media andtransmission media. Storage media includes both non-volatile media andvolatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical ormagnetic disks, such as storage device 310. Volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as main memory 306. Transmission media includescoaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires thatcomprise bus 302. Transmission media can also take the form of acousticor light waves, such as those generated during radio-wave and infra-reddata communications. All such media must be tangible to enable theinstructions carried by the media to be detected by a physical mechanismthat reads the instructions into a machine.

Common forms of machine-readable media include, for example, a floppydisk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magneticmedium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punchcards, papertape, anyother physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM,a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave asdescribed hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer canread.

Various forms of machine-readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 304 forexecution. For example, the instructions may initially be carried on amagnetic disk of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 300 canreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitterto convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector canreceive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriatecircuitry can place the data on bus 302. Bus 302 carries the data tomain memory 306, from which processor 304 retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory 306 mayoptionally be stored on storage device 310 either before or afterexecution by processor 304.

Computer system 300 also includes a communication interface 318 coupledto bus 302. Communication interface 318 provides a two-way datacommunication coupling to a network link 320 that is connected to alocal network 322. For example, communication interface 318 may be anintegrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a modem to provide adata communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line.As another example, communication interface 318 may be a local areanetwork (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to acompatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any suchimplementation, communication interface 318 sends and receiveselectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital datastreams representing various types of information.

Network link 320 typically provides data communication through one ormore networks to other data devices. For example, network link 320 mayprovide a connection through local network 322 to a host computer 324 orto data equipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) 326.ISP 326 in turn provides data communication services through the worldwide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the“Internet” 328. Local network 322 and Internet 328 both use electrical,electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams. Thesignals through the various networks and the signals on network link 320and through communication interface 318, which carry the digital data toand from computer system 300, are exemplary forms of carrier wavestransporting the information.

Computer system 300 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link 320 and communicationinterface 318. In the Internet example, a server 330 might transmit arequested code for an application program through Internet 328, ISP 326,local network 322 and communication interface 318.

The received code may be executed by processor 304 as it is received,and/or stored in storage device 310, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution. In this manner, computer system 300 may obtainapplication code in the form of a carrier wave.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have beendescribed with reference to numerous specific details that may vary fromimplementation to implementation. Thus, the sole and exclusive indicatorof what is the invention, and is intended by the applicants to be theinvention, is the set of claims that issue from this application, in thespecific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequentcorrection. Any definitions expressly set forth herein for termscontained in such claims shall govern the meaning of such terms as usedin the claims. Hence, no limitation, element, property, feature,advantage or attribute that is not expressly recited in a claim shouldlimit the scope of such claim in any way. The specification and drawingsare, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than arestrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: receiving, at a device,prior to generating for display a media asset: a set of timepointsrelating to the media asset; and an identification of an additionalcontent; generating for display at least a portion of the media asset;determining, by the device, that a timepoint among the set of timepointshas been reached during display of the media asset; in response todetermining that the timepoint has been reached, requesting theadditional content from at least one server; receiving, at the device,the additional content; causing, by the device, an interruption of thedisplay of the media asset; causing presentation of the additionalcontent; and after causing presentation of the additional content,causing, by the device, display of the media asset to resume.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the media asset is at least one of a game, amovie, video content, or a song.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein theadditional content includes one or more particular advertisements. 4.The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more particular advertisementsassociated with a highest bid amount from an advertiser are received. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the device, oneor more user interface commands; and in response to receiving the one ormore user interface commands, generating for display a user interfaceusing at least the one or more user interface commands.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the identification of the additional content comprisesa URL of the additional content.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein thedevice causes presentation of the additional content by retrieving theadditional content using the URL of additional content.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein each timepoint in the set of timepoints is associatedwith a mark during display of the media asset.
 9. An apparatuscomprising: control circuitry; and at least one memory includingcomputer program code for one or more programs, the at least one memoryand the computer program code configured to, with the control circuitry,cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: receive, prior togenerating for display a media asset: a set of timepoints relating tothe media asset; and an identification of an additional content;generate for display at least a portion of the media asset; determinethat a timepoint among the set of timepoints has been reached duringdisplay of the media asset; in response to determining that thetimepoint has been reached, request the additional content from at leastone server; receive the additional content; cause an interruption of thedisplay of the media asset; cause presentation of the additionalcontent; and after causing presentation of the additional content, causedisplay of the media asset to resume.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9,wherein the media asset is at least one of a game, a movie, videocontent, or a song.
 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the additionalcontent includes one or more particular advertisements.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more particular advertisementsassociated with a highest bid amount from an advertiser are received.13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus if further causedto: receive one or more user interface commands; and in response toreceiving the one or more user interface commands, generate for displaya user interface using at least the one or more user interface commands.14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the identification of theadditional content comprises a URL of the additional content.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus if further caused toretrieve the additional content using the URL.
 16. The apparatus ofclaim 9, wherein each time point is associated with a mark duringdisplay of the media asset.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed bycontrol circuitry, cause the control circuitry to: receive, prior togenerating for display a media asset: a set of timepoints relating tothe media asset; and an identification of an additional content;generate for display at least a portion of the media asset; determinethat a timepoint among the set of timepoints has been reached duringdisplay of the media asset; in response to determining that thetimepoint has been reached, request the additional content from at leastone server; receive the additional content; cause an interruption of thedisplay of the media asset; cause presentation of the additionalcontent; and after causing presentation of the additional content, causedisplay of the media asset to resume.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the media asset is atleast one of a game, a movie, video content, or a song.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein each timepoint is associated with a mark during display of the media asset.